Was the Washoe County Board of Fire Commissioners decision to break up the consolidated fire department with the Reno Fire Department the right call? Why or why not?

The breakup of our fire department was a major mistake. It has led to an increase in response times and higher taxes for county residents. Paying more money for less coverage is unacceptable and working toward the creation of one unified department will be one of my top priorities.

How can the Washoe County Commission play a role in diversifying the region's economy?

The County Commission has the ability to provide tax abatements and sales tax exemptions to local businesses seeking to expand as well as companies seeking to relocate to Nevada. I would like to see greater emphasis placed on promoting the growth of local business and developing our home-grown talent.

What local government services should be combined in the Truckee Meadows and why?

Along with the consolidation of our regionís fire departments, we need to take a serious look at combining REMSA with our fire services. Iíve been on shifts with both Reno Fire and Truckee Meadows Fire and we were always the first to arrive on scene in serious medical situations.

1. What should be the top three priorities of the Washoe County Board of Commissioners and why?

Getting Nevadans back to work, stemming the tide of foreclosures, and regionalizing our fire services should be the top three priorities of the Washoe County Commission. The recession has made clear that our local economy is too dependent on a few traditional job sectors for the bulk of our employment. We need to diversify our local economy and invest more in the resources we have locally to strengthen our local economy.

I believe that one of the greatest resources we can tap into is UNR. When you look around the country at some of the cities that have best weathered the recession, more often than not the biggest thing they have in common is a major university. By investing in public/private partnerships between the university and local businesses, we can give our students the real world experience they need to succeed in todayís economy. In addition, it will also serve as a way to keep our brightest minds and local talent here in the Truckee Meadows. As an alumnus of UNR, I am committed to working with anyone who wants to see our university become one of our countryís elite institutions.

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Along with the university, tapping into the potential of the vast amounts of renewable energy we have in Northern Nevada will be key to re-tooling our economy. We are strategically positioned above one of the largest reserves of geothermal energy in North America, and along with the wind and sun that drench our area, we have the ability to become the largest renewable energy producer in the entire country. The commission can encourage the growth of these burgeoning industries by offering tax incentives in exchange for development and job creation.

Stabilizing area home prices also needs to be front and center on the agenda for the commission. Property taxes serve as the largest source of revenue for the county and the fact that the current commission has done next to nothing to address this problem is irresponsible. I have a proposal to use the money Nevada was awarded in the court settlement reached with the nationís five largest banks to fund a foreclosure mediation program at the local level. I believe that using our local attorneys to help our local homeowners stay in their homes will solidify our housing market and propel our home values upward. Our homes are the biggest investment we make in our lives, and protecting them needs to be one of our top priorities.

Finally, the topic that gets the bulk of the media attention and that comes up again and again as I talk to the people of my district on the campaign trail is the deconsolidation of our fire department. I believe that the break-up of the department was a mistake and I will work toward the creation of one regional fire service. The way we accomplish this is by equalizing the funding sources contributed by each of the local governing bodies so that we avoid the adolescent spats we have recently seen whenever the commissioners and City Council members get in the same room and discuss who has contributed more. As the situation currently stands, county residents are paying more for less service and seeing increased response times. I will not let this stand. Within the last year we have seen several major fires in the area that our firefighters have had to tackle. The lack of an automatic aid agreement is reckless and dangerous and sitting on the sidelines until an official call for aid comes goes against every instinct of our professional firefighters. Egos need to be checked at the door and public safety needs to be put first. Iím tired of it, and the people of my district are tired of it. It is time for a change.